[MtnClimber]

We already know how this worked in China.

[Sirius Lee]

Critics could conceivably be excluded from society, unable to purchase food, medicine, travel, or housing if they fall out of political favor.

We were told this would happen millennia ago.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Effective step in administration of a wealth tax.

[PGalt]

Leash & tracking devices should be on elites, UNaccountable bureaucrats, elected representatives and criminals.

[Brian Griffin]

Most transactions are digital nowadays, and even more so in Europe where the merchant debit card fees are much, much less.

[Brian Griffin]

If the government wants to crimp the drug trade, the government could limit bills to $1 (mainly bus fares) and $5 (mainly tips).

Is it still legal to ship suitcases of money out by Somalian courier?

[Tench_Coxe]

Ever wonder why the hue and cry on data centers?

Reminds me of the hard sell re: send in your DNA for some 5 page report, or vaccine cards are necessary for a safe working and shopping environment.

Or the resistance to legislation to removing kill switches in cars.

[Brian Griffin]

Property taxes to ‘educate’ (i.e. indoctrinate) the ‘Young Pioneers’ are “a wealth tax”.

[butlerweave]

When the internet goes out so does your purchasing like happened in Canada a few years ago , you had to use cash , some places even dusted off those credit card imprinter, colloquially known as a ZipZap machine ,LOL

[BipolarBob]

Me, holding out my hands “I’m here for the golden handcuffs I was promised”.

[UnwashedPeasant]

From Google AI on Trump's nominee to become Fed chair starting in May:

Kevin Warsh, a potential Federal Reserve chair nominee, supports a "wholesale" central bank digital currency (CBDC) specifically for interbank and government transactions to boost the dollar's competitiveness, but strongly opposes a "retail" CBDC that would allow consumer-level accounts, citing severe privacy risks, government surveillance, and anti-American principles.

Key details of Kevin Warsh's stance on CBDCs:

• Wholesale Focus: Warsh advocates for a digital dollar used exclusively for financial institutions and cross-border transactions to improve payment speed and efficiency.
• Retail Opposition: He has argued that a retail CBDC, which would give the public direct accounts at the Federal Reserve, is "dangerous" and would allow for government surveillance of individual spending.
• Competition Concerns: He has highlighted that China’s advanced e-CNY digital currency project could threaten the global dominance of the U.S. dollar, necessitating a modernized, secure, and private U.S. alternative.
• Alternative to Stablecoins: While skeptical that current private cryptocurrencies or stablecoins are sufficient proxies for the dollar, he prefers a regulated private sector approach to retail digital payments over a government-run CBDC.
• Privacy & Liberty: Warsh believes that a consumer-facing Fed-issued digital dollar is at odds with American values of privacy and could lead to financial overreach.

[dagunk]

Memo to all nsa, fbi, cia, dia, dea, atf, mba, aok, fmj, kgb, MI5,
and any others that might be listening/reading/tracking my
metadata...i share this computer with an old lady, an ex-con, a
priest, a used car salesman, a military veteran, a pacifist, a
vegetarian, a hunter, a circus midget, a Panamanian strong man, and
a chihuahua...so any data you have will be random and useless...good
luck.
— gspn

[bk1000]

I rarely use cash these days. That said, I would not want to see the end of cash.
When you need it, you need it!

[PeterPrinciple]

My observation is that almost all immigrants, legal and otherwise use cash exclusively.................

[rktman]

Marco de’beast! This should be avoided at every turn.